People's Prayers

Monday, August 21, 2023

Prayers of the People: The Keys to Bind and to Loose ~ 13th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, August 27, 2023, Readings: Isaiah 51:1-6, Psalm 138, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20

…but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended. [Isaiah 51:6b]

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart…your love endures for ever… [Psalm 138: 1a, 9b]

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God ~ what is good, acceptable, and perfect. [Romans 12:2]

And Jesus answered [Peter] "...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:17a, 19]

This reading from the Second part of Isaiah, reminds the People of God’s Covenant with Israel of their heritage, their origin in the call of Abraham and Sarah that flourished as a nation through their offspring. They are also reminded of the coming comfort in wasted areas, a renewing act of God that would make their past sufferings in defeat and exile seem insignificant. Isaiah says to "Listen to me" so they would hear of the justice and enlightenment coming from God to all in darkness. However, he also promised that deliverance would come swiftly and that until that time the Law was to be the pattern for their life.
This Psalm came at a time when the community had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon and the new temple had been dedicated. It is an outpouring of worshipful praise and gratitude with a whole heart, filled with the faith and trust in God with whom we can all walk through the deepest troubles and be continuously protected.
Then Paul reminds us that we are one body in Christ with God-given, grace-filled gifts that we are to learn to identify ~ and accept ~ within ourselves and offer in service to God and to each other. In his words, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God…” he both admonishes and encourages us to look beyond ourselves to work together for God's purpose; to be the welcoming all-inclusive community of the many members, with the many gifts, by the many mercies of God in Christ.
When Jesus asks who others think he is, perhaps the disciples were wondering themselves if Jesus was some sort of re-incarnation of the prophets. It is Simon Peter who gets the prize for getting the answer correct. Peter ~ a name meaning the stone or rock in Greek ~ is then awarded the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. Did Peter, in that moment, feel the enormous weight of the responsibility?
Binding and loosing is a rabbinical concept that, as Jews, the disciples ~ and Matthew ~ understood. In very simplistic terms it means a communal judgment to bind as in obligation or to loosen that requirement to a matter of one’s individual judgment.
Many of us feel either a strong binding obligation, or at least a personal commitment, to present ourselves for worship each Sunday ~ in person in the Church or by watching online ~ but of course we are free to not attend or view. So what does a true obligation to the work of Christ actually mean? That's where discernment applies. Discovering what are and how to use our particular gifts, as well as offering them in the sincere attempt to follow God's will, is the work of a lifetime, as Paul says, our spiritual worship, our living sacrifice. Our human gifts are the keys to unlocking our spiritual gifts for our life that is now, the living and breathing and acting and working through each and every day of the life we have been given to live here on Earth. All that was, is now, and, all that is now, will come again. It is up to us, individually and collectively, to recognize the connections we share with the past and the future that help us to decipher the signs that we are on the right path or diverging from it. To paraphrase mystic/monk Thomas Merton's helpful and hopeful prayer that begins, "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going...”^* Among the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, sincerity of purpose is one key to the binding of trust and the loosening of apprehension. Connecting the lessons of the past and the present is another key. And, the most important key is in the form of a question and it comes directly to us from Jesus himself. The key to what we each bind or loose in this life in this time and the one we must reflect upon, pray about, and ponder regularly, even as we assume and presume to simply “know.” It is how to answer when we come face-to-face with Jesus and he asks: Who do you think that I am?

* Thomas Merton's Prayer: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, our whole hearts now give You praise for our spiritual heritage in the roots of Abraham and Sarah, for Your strength given us when we called, for Your care for the lowly, and for all Your holy ways. Grant us each the continuing awareness of Your ever-enduring love, and gratefulness for the works of Your hands.

                                               O Lord, our God                                               
RESPONSE: Transform and Renew us

~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, empower us to be vigorous in the pursuit of re-forming the attitudes, agendas, and actions from callous to compassionate on the part of the political leaders in the small and large areas of this World, this Country, and this Community. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                                               O Lord, our God
                                              Transform and Renew us

~  O God of Love and Faithfulness, infuse hope, healing, and comfort in all who are lost in the grip of serious or life-threatening illness, in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give of their strength in support.  We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
  
                                               O Lord, our God
                                              Transform and Renew us
       
~  O God of Love and Faithfulness, open wide the gates of heaven as You receive in joy, those we now commend to the bliss of eternal life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                               O Lord, our God
                                              Transform and Renew us

~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                               O Lord, our God
                                              Transform and Renew us
                     
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we offer our special thanksgivings for those who guide us by their teaching, preaching, and prayers, to discern our own gifts and discover our path to all that is good and acceptable to You. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                                               O Lord, our God
                                              Transform and Renew us
                                                                                                       
The Celebrant adds: Lord of All That Is, awaken us each morning with eagerness to offer ourselves in service to Your Holy Will, to escape the snares of conforming to what is of this world, to transform our thoughts and actions through continuous renewal, and bind ourselves only to Your Kingdom in each and every day. We ask through Jesus, our Blessed Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate; who together with You are one God, loving, eternal, and everlasting.   Amen.

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Monday, August 14, 2023

Prayers of the People: Connecting the Crumbs ~ 12th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, August 20, 2023, Readings: Isaiah 56:1-8, Psalm 67, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Matthew 15: 21-28

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather others to them besides those already gathered. [Isaiah 56:6-8]

May God be merciful to us and bless us…Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations…Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth. [from Psalm 67]

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. [Romans 11:2a, 29-32]

Just then a Canaanite woman from that region…shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord”… He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel… It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs”… She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” [from Matthew 15:21-28]

The Readings for this week are wonderfully and marvelously connected. In Isaiah, some backstory will help. This is a time when the people of Israel are returning from the exile of generations in Babylon. Are they still the same? Presumably most of those who were originally exiled are dead and so come the descendants who have likely assimilated to some degree by custom and culture and are wondering if they are welcome in the homeland of their ancestors and of their religion. Some will have told them that they must dissolve their foreign marriages and send the wives (and children?) away. Moving to a whole new place far away from where you have been for many years or even your entire life is never easy and those who are there may well be suspicious and perhaps feel threatened. Those returning will be wary and worried. Yet God says the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…will be accepted on my altar…says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them… and then we move to Psalm 67 which reminds us God’s ways are the saving health among the nations and that God judges people with equity.

Paul continues this almost theme of people wondering if they’re being rejected or, if they should reject those “others” who come into their midst with strange habits or language or food or cultural practices that go against the local norms. It’s strange phrasing when Paul says that God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. But the clear message comes before that: For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Who of us haven’t been disobedient? Whether we are imprisoned in order for God to be merciful requires greater thought and many extra words but for me, I’ll stick with the God Who is Merciful to ALL.

And then the classic encounter with THE OTHER! Ok, so Jesus set himself up for this one whether deliberately or not, but by Jesus and his disciples traveling out of Galilee, of course they would come in contact with foreigners. But a Canaanite and a woman, tsk tsk tsk, not good! All the prejudices and religious practices of the Jewish community would clearly see her as not only an unclean outsider but an enemy. When she calls out to Jesus, even with her best recognition of his status, begging for him to cure her daughter, Jesus and the disciples are more than dismissive, they’re rude. Jesus actually insults her by comparing his potential interaction with her as throwing the food of children to a dog. Then she kneels before him, and while risking everything with her feisty remark she tells him, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables. He then commends the greatness of her faith and heals her daughter.

Was it another test for the disciples, was it planned in advance, was it a simple human response to an "other" on his part? We don’t know, we can’t know. But what we can know is that all these crumbs gathered together in these readings are an enormous opportunity for us all to look at all those around us to see the them and the us and who is them to us and who is us to us and most importantly why. And then, we are to remember that God gathers us, the outcasts, and the foreigners and judges all people with equity and mercy. If God doesn’t reject outcasts, and Jesus heals them, who am I to reject an other that doesn’t seem to fit in my “normal” environment. And remember further, that we each are an other to someone, somewhere, even if only a block away. Let us connect all those crumbs and make a whole community of all peoples.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God of Equity and Mercy, show us the light of Your Countenance as we share Your ways across this Earth. Gather us together as foreigner and outcast and other, to bless and guide us, to praise you and be joyful in Your house of prayer as One People in our One God.

O Lord of All Peoples

RESPONSE: You are our Saving Health

~ O God of Equity and Mercy, empower us to be vigorous in the pursuit of justice and all that is right. Guide us to reform our own attitudes and actions from callous to compassionate and especially those on the part of political leaders of this World, this Country, and this Community.  We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

O Lord of All Peoples

You are our Saving Health

~ O God of Equity and Mercy, infuse hope, healing, and comfort in all who are lost in the grip of serious or life-threatening illness or addiction, and all who give of their strength in support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O Lord of All Peoples

You are our Saving Health    

~ O God of Equity and Mercy, open wide the gates of heaven as You receive in joy, those we now commend to the bliss of eternal life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O Lord of All Peoples

You are our Saving Health

~ O God of Equity and Mercy, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

O Lord of All Peoples

You are our Saving Health              

~ O God of Equity and Mercy, we offer our special thanksgivings for those who guide, us by their teaching, preaching, and prayers, to discern our own irrevocable gifts and calling to discover our path to all that is good and acceptable to You. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

O Lord of All Peoples

You are our Saving Health

The Celebrant adds:  O God, Our Own God, awaken us each morning with the eagerness to offer ourselves in service to Your Supreme Will. Grant us the grace to respect as Your Own, each one we meet, letting go of our prejudice and fear of the other in our midst, recognizing we each are an other to someone. We ask through Jesus, Son of David, our Blessed Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate; who together with You are one God, eternal and everlasting. Amen.

Monday, August 7, 2023

Prayers of the People: Really, Get Out of the Boat! ~ 11th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, August 9, 2020, Readings: 1 Kings 19:9-8; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33

At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave…and spent the night there…[God] said, “Go out and stand on the mountain…for the Lord is about to pass by…” the Lord was not in the wind…in the earthquake…in the fire…and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it…and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave…Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus…” [1 Kings 19:9-18]

I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him. [Psalm 85:8]

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. [Romans 10:12]

But when the disciples saw [Jesus] walking on the sea, they were terrified...But...Jesus...said, "...it is I, do not be afraid." Peter [said]..."command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." [Peter] became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught [Peter], saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. [Matthew 14:26a, 28-, 30b, 31-32]

The full story of Elijah has some very interesting twists and turns. In this small snippet, we find Elijah running for his life from the threats of the infamous Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. Arriving at a cave at Mt. Horeb, also known as Mt. Sinai, the accounts of Elijah in this piece are rife with allusions to Moses as read in Exodus last week in the readings for The Transfiguration. Not only is Mt. Horeb where God is first revealed to Moses, this very cave is also reputed to be the place where Moses had such an intense experience of God (theophany) when his face shone so brightly he had to wear a veil when leaving God’s presence. And with all that Elijah tells God of his fear for his own life, God essentially tells him to get back to the work God has given him to do by anointing new kings and appointing Elisha as his successor.
The constancy of God is a continuing theme throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, no matter the whims and wastes of those God loves. The Psalmist reminds us, among other things in this short piece, to listen to what God is saying and truth shall spring up from the earth.
Paul tells us that God in Jesus is Lord of all, of everyone, whether Jew or Greek or whatever else you may be ~ this was a shocking idea in those times, a notion that God doesn't dismiss or exclude those people who aren't one of us was quite radical ~ no wonder Paul ended up in prison! Imagine if we felt that way today ~ oh, wait, have you read today’s news? This concept is seemingly shocking to many who identify themselves as Christian and yet encourage the violence and irrational hatred which divides families, friends, neighborhoods, and nations. Yet Paul is adamant that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved [Romans 10:13]. Furthermore, we are the ones who are to proclaim the truth of Christ to all.
Just as God is Lord of ALL, regardless of human categorizations of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, status in life, etc., Jesus calls ~ make that requires ~ us all to get our feet wet in the realities of life's unpredictable times, tides, and weather; political and otherwise. Nothing easy about it ~ just ask Peter. But praying for the trust to believe in our hearts, to speak our faith out loud in words and by our actions, and bringing Christ to others, will help us find the strength we need to pull ourselves and each other up from that sinking feeling of fear and doubt. Jesus bids us Come, get out of the boat in faith, and together we will know and share the calmer seas of Christ’s Good News.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Generous and Merciful God, the Constant who guides us through the calm and chaos of our earthly life, if we believe in our hearts and call upon Your Holy Name. Amplify our faith, relieve our fears and doubts, and quicken our determination to answer Christ’s simple call, “Come.”

Jesus, Lord of All

RESPONSE: Our Strength and Salvation

~ Generous and Merciful God, renew us in spirit daily to carry the message of Christ on our lips and hearts to the leaders of this Community, this Country, and this World for the peace, health, and well-being of all people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord of All

Our Strength and Salvation

~ Generous and Merciful God, soothe the hearts and minds of all who struggle with serious illness, chronic pain, or depression, and revive the stamina of those who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord of All

Our Strength and Salvation

~ Generous and Merciful God, we give You thanks and praise for the new life of our loved ones in the glorious eternity of heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord of All

Our Strength and Salvation

~ Generous and Merciful God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord of All
Our Strength and Salvation

~ Generous and Merciful God, grant spiritual vitality and an even keel to all who lead us in Your church by Your Word and Wisdom, through the calm and perilous waters of life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord of All
Our Strength and Salvation

The Celebrant adds: Almighty and Ever-Living God, You created us all in Your image and bid us always to turn to You in each hour of life. Empower us to step into the depths of our faith and answer Your call with courage and conviction, in tempest and tranquility, for this life and the next. We ask this through Christ Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate; who together with You, are One God forever and ever. Amen.

Monday, July 24, 2023

Prayers of the People: Great Pearls and Bad Fish ~ Proper 12, 9th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 30, 2023, Readings: 1 Kings 3:5-12, Psalm 119:129-136, Romans 8:26-39,

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

And Solomon said…”O Lord my God…Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people able to discern between good and evil… [1 Kings 3:7a, 9a]

Turn to me in mercy, as you always do to those who love your Name. Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes. [Psalm 119:132, 135]

If God is for us, who is against us?...Who will separate us from the love of Christ?...neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, not things present, nor things to come...will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:31b, 38]

Jesus [said]: " The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed...like yeast...like treasure hidden in a field...[and] like [a pearl] of great value...[and] like a net that...caught every fish...when it was full, they...put the good into the baskets but threw out the bad. [Matthew 13:31, 33, 44, 45, 48-49]

In Solomon’s time as in our own, there were corporate/communal rituals and worshipful actions along with precise words that allow for congregants to say in unison. Then, as now, there were also individual conversations with God ~ aka prayers ~ for a more intimate expression of emotion and thoughts to share with God. Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:6-9 is an early example of such a prayer. God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks Solomon what he wants ~ clearly a test that Solomon passes very well as he is now the icon of his reward: wisdom. The Psalms, of course, are also expressions of prayer and cover every human emotion possible from joy, rage, peace, adoration, and more. Today’s Psalm is a promise to remain faithful with God’s constant help.

Jesus lets loose quite a barrage of parables to further explain the kingdom of God in everyday illustrations for that time and some in our own. There is something for everyone to do whether we are planting tiny mustard seeds to grow into large trees for nesting birds and human food, mixing yeast with flour to expand the dough of life, finding buried treasure in the field of an everyday experience, or discovering a pearl so perfect that we choose to sell all we own to buy it. And there are times when we must allow ourselves to be caught like fish in a net, and the goal of that moment – and every other – is to be sorted into the baskets with the good fish rather than thrown out with the bad.

One message here is that there is no perfection in humanity but in choosing well, our smallest efforts can grow and yield a large return. We are to remember that God is always present even if that discovery sometimes requires some digging on our part. Paul tells us that to be separated from the love of God through Jesus, even with all of our faults, is nearly impossible. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us? Only ourselves! And the choice to be separated would have to be our own.

Even Paul is teaching us about prayer and ways to access God’s help when we often don’t know our own minds or hearts. He reassures us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness if we have faith – however small and however it wavers. It is our intention that will be known by God. We may need to be reminded that prayer isn’t about telling God what to do, but rather to ask and seek to know what we are called to fulfill.

The Spirit of God, if we open ourselves in faith, is the yeast that expands our understanding, our relationship, and the willingness to seek God’s purpose in all that we do. The love of Christ is what blends us all; it is the pearl of great price to be Christ’s own together. God is the ultimate master of the household who gathers the yield of fish and field, the good and the bad, the mediocre and the exceptional. Some days in God’s Creation are better than others yet God is the constant that draws us near. We’re called to choose our own path to discover the treasures, the nesting places, the full or scanty harvests, and the good fish with the bad on any given day in every given life.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ God of Steadfast Love, the smallest seeds, the yeast that gives rise, and the hidden treasures of everyday life, are a few of the markers of Your bountiful love. Guide us to see the ordinary as miraculous in Your Creation, filling our souls beyond measure through faith.

O Spirit of God

RESPONSE: Our help in our weakness

~ God of Steadfast Love, endow all who govern in every area of our World with wise and understanding minds, able to discern and choose good over evil for the health and welfare of all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Spirit of God

Our help in our weakness

~ God of Steadfast Love, ease the burdens and fear of illness, injury, or despair for those who suffer, and bring relief to those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O Spirit of God

Our help in our weakness

~ God of Steadfast Love, we hold closely in our hearts all who have traveled to the end of their human experience, and now shine in Your eternal radiance and peace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O Spirit of God

Our help in our weakness

~ God of Steadfast Love, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

O Spirit of God

Our help in our weakness

~ God of Steadfast Love, bestow the gift of grace-filled respite for all who are called to lead us in Your church, teaching us to pray, worship, and work together, all according to Your purpose. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Spirit of God

Our help in our weakness

~The Celebrant adds: O God of Mercy, as You are always for us, nothing can separate us from the enduring love of Christ but ourselves. Catch us in Your ample net and draw us from the troubled waters of this life, into the eternal good of Your Heavenly Kingdom. We ask through Jesus, our Hope and our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Counselor; who together with You are our One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Monday, July 17, 2023

Prayers of the People: Tare-ing Things Out ~ Proper 11, 8th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 23, 2023, Isaiah 44:6-8, Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. [Isaiah 44:6]

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth…For great is your steadfast love for me…you, O LOrd, are…merciful and gracious…slow to anger…you, Lord, have helped and comforted me. [Psalm 86:11a, 13a, 15a, 17b]

When we cry, "Abba! Father!" is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." [Romans 8:15b-17a, 25]

[Jesus] answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels...The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect...all causes of sin and all evildoers, and...throw them into the furnace...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. [Matthew 13:37-42a, 43a]

To begin this week’s readings, we have a 3 verse snippet of a slightly longer chapter of Isaiah. Essentially we hear about the singularity of God: I am the first, and I am the last. We’ve heard the connection between God and God’s people elsewhere in the Bible and it is what we have all been taught for generations beyond generations, yet, there’s a whole sermon waiting to be written about how this concept of “one God” aka monotheism has been co-opted from the understanding of early Judaism. In ancient times it was assumed that there were other deities who had their own limited things to do and spheres of influence. Israel’s God, however, was intended to be an exclusive relationship and commitment by Israel as God’s chosen, as no other god equals Israel’s God. There’s much to consider but in the interest of time and space, it was the onset of the 17^th century with world conquering and domination to be done by the West, whose leaders determined cultures with multiple gods to be inferior, that the concept of monotheism as the ONLY way it was developed and used as method of continuing colonial baggage and then spreading back to the conquerors' own lands. As Reed Carson writing for WorkingPreacher.com says: Ironically, this naïve self-assurance places Christian theologians in a similar position to what texts like Isaiah 44 sought to correct…Today a host of rival gods contend for our affection and adoration…Among these rival deities are the Christian Nationalist God, the spirits of Profit and Growth, and demons like Patriarchy and White Supremacy. Each of these…has found ways to demand of us sacrifices, oaths of loyalty, and (perhaps most ruinous) awestruck fear.

In a slight departure, this Psalm gives us many quotations from the Torah, the first five books of the Old/Hebrew Testament and some also appear in other psalms. The Psalmist doesn’t seem to worry at all about people with their other gods. The primary affirmation is that God is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in love and kindness. These words are to give us the freedom and conviction that we can appeal directly to God, as the Psalmist speaks to his own trust and expectation that even those “others” will come to worship the One.

Paul speaks to our inward groaning and mortal struggles to avoid the deeds of the body as he exhorts us to hope for what we do not see and wait for it with patience.

But it is this parable of Jesus, often known as the wheat and the tares [noxious weeds that resemble the wheat sprouts], that offers us a lesson in prudent personal agronomy. It takes an experienced farmer/gardener to know the difference between seedlings that grow into the desired plants and those that produce invasive, destructive weeds. The Master of this field wisely leaves well enough alone, as at maturity, the reapers will have no difficulty in distinguishing the wheat from the weeds, knowing which to save and which to burn.

While the Master of this story blames an enemy for the deliberate seeding of tares in his field, we can look to ourselves for the crop of noxious weeds we ourselves produce. One grows each time we point a finger in disgust or hate, however self-righteous and correct we believe we are. Another shoots up each time we judge and belittle those we believe to be the enemy of our personal agenda (even if they are). The next grows tall every time we decide who is an undesirable and useless plant growing where it isn't wanted. And half an acre at least rises up especially when we believe we know who God will ~ or should ~ burn. It is so easy to sow another seed of soul-destroying rubbish in our own spiritual ground, reducing it to an unholy dump.

The message is pretty clear, and always difficult: it's not our job to reap the harvest and separate the weeds from the wheat. We are called to be the good seeds, the children of the kingdom, to be fruitful and nourish the fields of the Lord. In growing strong in Christ together, we will crowd out temptation, resist and lessen the impact of the noxious weeds sown in God's Creation. The true and fertile seeds of the Spirit are ready to sprout. God is the true and only judge of the hearts of others. As the most famous line in the old Walt Kelly cartoon Pogo says: We have met the enemy and he is us. Jesus came to save the fallen, not just the faithful. Let us not be the enemy. Only God is the One to tare things out of the wheat.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, lead us, Your children by Your Spirit, to labor with patience and hope in Your fields to gather for ourselves and all Creation, the everlasting freedom of Your Glory.

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
RESPONSE:            Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, impel the hearts and souls of all who govern our World, our Country, and our Community, to tear out the choking tendrils of the deadly contagion of inequity, injustice, and personal greed, so to save and prosper the lives of all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, relieve the pain and despair from those who suffer with illness, injury, or addiction, and sustain the strength of those who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, We lift up and release those we love into Your joyous welcome, to shine like the sun in Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, We commend to You, with gratitude, those who have committed their lives to us in Your service. Bless, inspire, and uphold them, as they work with us in Your Creation, to guide us always toward You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

The Celebrant adds: Abba! Father! Sow in us a longing to clear away the weeds of sin and doubt within, and to prosper our spiritual ground with good seed and great hope, that we may shine like the sun in Your Eternal Kingdom. We ask through Jesus, our Strength and our Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our Soul Guide and our Wisdom; who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.